Merkel: Germany not 'first in line' to boost troops in Afghanistan

13 May 2017, 12:59 | Katrina Lee

NATO Secretary-General says ready to send more troops to Afghanistan

The Post said President Trump is expected to decide whether to push for a more robust presence in Afghanistan before a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation summit in Brussels on May 25 that he is scheduled to attend.

Talking about the U.K.'s commitments regarding NATO, May said they "very much consider it important here in the United Kingdom that we spend 2 percent of our GDP on defense and also meet the 20 percent on equipment commitment as well".

"It is very important that we, and our other allies in the effort in Afghanistan, continue to work together to build up the capacity of Afghanistan's own security forces so that they can keep that country secure from the threat of terrorism", he said on Friday.

US officials said the administration's developing policy would focus less on the global troop numbers needed and more on providing resources for increased Afghan air power and special forces.

In 2013 he tweeted: "We have wasted an enormous amount of blood and treasure in Afghanistan", and a buildup of USA forces there would seem to run counter to his campaign pledges to put the rebuilding of America first.

Previous reports on the Pentagon's Afghan War plans, then yet to be presented to President Trump, presented them as uniformly in favor of escalation, with the plans varying from a 3,000 troop buildup to one with upwards of 5,000 more USA ground troops sent to the country.

"This is not about returning back to a combat operation in Afghanistan".

The request followed Mr Turnbull's recent trip to the region, where he met with US Secretary of Defense James Mattis and General John Nicholson, the commander of allied forces in Afghanistan.

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The new strategy would seek about $23 billion a year for maintaining the USA and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation military presence in Afghanistan and for programmes for the social and economic uplift of the Afghan people.

Separately, the United States administration is reportedly considering deploying more troops to Afghanistan as well.

The U.S. under President Donald Trump is keen for a greater emphasis on North Atlantic Treaty Organisation fighting terrorism.

The ADF ended combat operations there in 2014 after first arriving in 2001 to stop it being used as a safe haven for terrorists and stabilise the country.

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